April 25, 2023
South Carolina Teacher Fired for Handing Out International Bear Brotherhood Article
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
A South Carolina teacher is out of a job after handing out an article to her high school students that was deemed "inappropriate and unapproved content" on Friday.
As reported by Fox 8, an article focusing on the International Bear Brotherhood was being used to facilitate a discussion.
According to Spartanburg School District 6, the Language Arts teacher involved taught 10th grade at Dorman High School. When confronted over the article, she reportedly told the administration that it was her choice to distribute the unapproved article for class discussion.
The article, titled "The International Bear Brotherhood: What it is and why it's important," focuses on the Bear Brotherhood as a sub-group within the LGBTQ Community and its support of homosexual and bisexual men.
Additionally, the article delves into the term "Bear" and its use as a slang for non-heterosexual men.
Some parents were reportedly outraged.
"It would be really disturbing for me, because it's not in line with my views, or my family's views. We would be open for discussion and conversation afterwards," said one parent. "But it's not something that I feel like should be brought up and it would aggravate me that it happened to my child."
The teacher involved was put on administrative leave while the administration conducted an investigation. After thee investigation was completed, the teacher was terminated.
"I don't wish for anyone to lose their job, and I hope the person who did finds work, but at the same time, we go to school to learn about other things. You don't want views being pushed onto your kids," said the parent.
Before the incident, the school district reportedly held a meeting to remind teachers about having lessons and materials approved, and the teacher in question was a part of this meeting.
Read what the teacher shared with the class here.